BUFFALO  CONVENTION. 


REPORT 


STANDARD  TIME  COMMITTEE 


^MERiGAN  Society  of  Civil  Engineers. 


•S=^<=F. 


BUFFALO  CONVENTION 


OF  THE 


American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers. 


The  Special  Committee  on  Standard  Time 
REPORT : 

The  Committee  beg  leave  to  refer  to  the  Report  submitted  at  the 
Annual  Meeting  of  the  Society,  held  at  New  York,  on  the  i6th  January 
last,  in  which  they  set  forth  the  various  steps  taken  by  the  Society,  in 
promoting  the  proper  regulation  of  Time,  and  the  adoption  of  Time 
Standards. 

The  Committee  referred  with  much  satisfaction  to  the  fact  that  the 
Railway  authorities  generally  had  determined  to  adopt  one  of  the 
reforms  advocated  by  the  Society,  and  that  on  the  i8th  November  last, 
trains  commenced  to  run  throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
by  Hour  Standards,  and  that  the  public,  with  singular  unanimity, 
accepted  the  change,  which  they  now  universally  recognize  as  a  great 
public  boon. 

In  the  documents  widely  circulated  two  years  ago  by  the  Committee 
under  the  authority  of  the  Society,  a  series  of  questions  bearing  on  the 
whole  subject,  were  submitted  to  men  in  prominent  positions  in  the 
Railway  world,  including  Engineers,  Traffic  Managers  and  known 
Scientists  in  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  in  every  Province  in  Canada. 
To  these  questions  the  Committee  invited  replies,  and  among  the  large 
number  of  replies  received,  the  Committee  had  an  emphatic  expression 
of  opinion  from  many  persons  with  respect  to  the  division  of  the  day 
into  hours.  Ninety-two  (92)  per  cent,  of  those  heard  from,  gave  their 
unqualified  sup|X)rt  to  the  proposal,  to  abandon  the  old  traditional 
division  of  the  day  into  halves  of  twelve  (12)  hours  each,  and  to  adopt 
a  single  series  of  hours  from  midnight  to  midnight,  numbered  from  one 
to  twenty-four  (i  to  24.) 

A  list  of  gentlemen  who  have  carefully  examined  this  branch  of  the 
subject  and  who  in  their  replies  referred  to,  have  given  opinions 
decidedly  in  favor  of  the  proposed  change,  is  appended  to  this  Report. 

It  is  proposed  to  adapt  clocks  and  watches  now  in  use  to  the 
change,  by  having  inscribed  on  the  existing  dials  the  new  numbers  of 


8 


the  afternoon  hours,— thirteen  to  twenty-four  (13  to  24)  inclusive,  as 
in  the  Plate  No.  1. 


folate 


No.  1. 


iH^Ti^^^i**' 


The  only  practical  difficulty  to  be  overcome  is  met  by  the  simple 
expedient  of  placing  on  the  face  of  the  watch  or  clock  a  secondary 
dial  showing  the  new  afternoon  hours  in  Arabic  numerals  within  the 
present  Roman  figures. 


Plator 


'C-O 


,^^ 


No.  3. 


Plate  No.  2  shows  the  secondary  dial,  it  must  be  of  thin  material 
and  it  has  been  found  that  made  simply  of  paper  and  secured  to  its 
position  by  any  gum  which  will  adhere  to  an  enamelled  surface,  the 
object  is  attained  without  any  further  alteration  of  the  watch  or  clock. 

The  Committee  is  aware  that  these  seem  trifling  matters  to  bring 
under  the  notice  of  the  Conventiion,  but  questions  of  great  moment  not 
seldom  hinge  on  small  details.  It  is  et'dent  from  what  has  been  set 
forth,  that  every  person  in  the  commimity,  may  at  the  cost  of  a  few  cents 
in  each  case,  adapt  his  watch  to  the  24  o'clock  system. 

The  Committee  accordingly  repeat  their  conviction  that  with  the 


.4 

V 

disappearance  of  the  only  practical  difficulty  at  an  insignificant  cost, 
there  is  nothing  to  prevent  the  Railway  authorities  and  the  Community 
at  large,  adopting  the  change  as  soon  as  they  become  alive  to  its 
advantages. 

The  Committee  do  not,  on  this  occasion,  consider  it  necessary  again 
to  refer  to  the  public  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  new  Notation  of 
the  day.  The  advantages  have  been  fully  established  and  have  been 
frequently  discussed  at  various  meetings  of  this  Society. 

That  the  American  Society  of  Engineers,  as  a  body,  fully  appreciate 
the  importance  of  the  change  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  since  the  last 
Annual  Meeting,  the  Society  has  practically  adopted  the  24  o'clock 
system  in  all  arrangements  of  meetings,  and  in  all  matters  in  which  the 
.hour  of  the  day  is  referred  to. 

The  Committee  cannot  doubt  that  the  influence  of  the  Society  in 
■this  reform,  will  ultimately  lead  to  equally  satisfactory  results,  as  have 
been  obtained  by  their  efforts  in  the  establishment  of  the  Standard 
Hour  system  throughout  the  Continent. 

The  Committee  deem  it  proper  to  recall  the  action  taken  at  the 
'Washington  Convention  in  May  1882.  On  that  occasion  the  Society 
resolved  to  petition  Congress  to  take  steps  to  establish  a  Prime 
Meridian  as  a  zero  for  reckoning  Time,  and  for  the  computation  of 
longitudes.  Subsequently  Congress  passed  a  Joint  Resolution  authoriz- 
ing the  President  to  call  an  International  Conference  to  fix  on  and 
recommend  for  universal  adoption  such  a  zero,  and  in  conformity  with 
.the  Act  of  Congress,  the  President  has  called  an  International  Confe- 
rence to  be  held  at  Washington,  on  the  ist  October  next. 

The  Act  of  Congress  has  authorized  the  appointment  of  Three 
Delegates  for  the  United  States  to  the  Conference,  and  it  appears  to 
the  Committee  appropriate  that  the  Railway  and  the  other  interests  of 
the  Country  of  which  to  a  certain  extent  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers  is  the  exponent,  should  be  there  represented. 

Your  Committee  accordingly  recommend  that  the  President  of  the 
United  States  be  respectfully  memorialized  by  the  Society  to  appoint 
one  delegate  to  represent  these  important  interests  at  the  Washington 
Conference. 

For  the  Special  Committee  on  Standard  Time. 

SANDFORD  FLEMING, 

Chairman. 
Buffalo,  loth  June,  1884.  . 


The  24  o'clock  System. 


List  of  Engineers,  Railway  Presidents,  Traffic  Managers,  Scientists 
and  other  prominent  persons,  who,  in  their  replies  to  questions  issued 
in  1882  by  the  Standard  Time  Committee,  gave  their  unqualified 
preference  to  a  division  of  the  day  into  a  single  series  of  hours 
numbered  from  one  to  twenty-four  (i  to  24). 

In  addition  to  this  list  a  number  of  gentlemen  expressed  them- 
selves in  favor  of  the  24  o'clock  system  for  Railway  Time  Tables,  but 
were  in  doubt  as  to  the  possibility  of  bringing  it  into  common  use  for 
all  purposes. 

Only  eight  (8)  per  cent,  of  all  heard  from  expressed  themselves  as 
unfavorable  to  the  24  o'clock  system. 

The  names  with  an  asterisk  (*)  are  members  of  the  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers. 


Name. 


W.J.McAlpine.M.I.C.E* 

M.  Becker*  

Martin  W.  Harrington , . . 
H.  T.  Eddy,  Ph.  D 

Robert  Fletcher,  Ph.  D.* 

P.  H.  Philbrick* 

E.  A.  Doane*. 

Henry  B.  Richardson* . . . 
H.  Stanley  Goodwin* .... 


Official  Title. 


Robert  Briggs* 

S.  Spencer 

C.  B.  Comstock* 

W.  A.  Doane* 

Francis  J.  Lynch,  M.I.C.E 
James  H.  Rowan,  C.  E . . 
R.  M.  Harrod,  C.  E.*... 
C.  S.  Master* 


James  Hall,  D.  P.  S. . 

W.  A.  Sweet* 

Wm.  T.  Jennings. . . . 

M.  G.  Howe* 

Robert  H,  Sayre 

Robert  Moore,  C.  E*. 
J.  Foster  Crowell*  . . . 


Past  Pres.  Am  Soc.  Civil  Engineer 
Chief  Eng'r  P.  C  6-  St.  L.  R.  W.  Co 

Director  Astron.  Observatory 

Prof,  of  Mathematics,  Astron.  and 

Civil  Eng.,  Univer.  of  Cincinnati. 

Prof,  of  Civil  Engineering 

Prof  C.  E  ,  State  Univ.  of  Iowa. . . 
Chief  Eng  ,  Rome,  W.and  Og'gh.  R. 

Chief  State  Engineer 

Asst    Gen.   Super.   Lehigh    Valley 

R.  R.  Co. 


3rd  V.  P.,  B.  dr"  O.  R.  R 

Lieut-Colonel  of  Engineers 

Principal  Asst.  Eng.,  R  W.6-0.R.R 
In  charge  Canad'n  Pacific  R'y  office 
Ex-District  Eng.,  C,  P.  Railway. . . 
Member  Miss.  River  Commission . . 
Engineer  in  charge  Western  Division 
W.L.  6-  G.R.R. 

Ex-Sheriff  and  Ex-M.P 

Prest  Sanderson  St.  Co 

Rest.  Engr.  C.P.R 

Eng.  and  Sup.,  H.  6^  T.C.R.R 

Sup.  and  Eng.,  Lehigh  Valley  R.R. 


Assistant  Engineer,  P.R.R . 


Address. 


Bay  Ridge,  N.  Y. 
Pittsburgh.  Pa. 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Hanover,  N.  H. 
Iowa  City,  Iowa. 
Oswego,  N.  Y. 
New  Orleans,  La. 
Bethlehem,  Penn. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Beltimore,  Md. 
Detroit,  Mich.  . 
Oswego,  N.  Y. 
Ottawa,  Canada. 
Winnipeg,  Man. 
New  Orleans. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Peterboro',  Ont. 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Keewatin,  Man. 
Houston,  Texas. 
Bethlehem,  Pa. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


Name. 


T.J.  Potter 

W.  B.  Sinellie 

Julius  W.  Adams 

F.  N.  Gisborne 

iames  H.  Harlow*  . . . . 
Ldward  S.  Philbrick*. . 

Kivas  Tully 

T.  H.  Perry 

J.  W.  Putnam* 

Charles  H.  Swan*  . . . . 
Sir  Charles  Tupper. . , . 

Jos.  P.  Davis* 

P.  S.  Archibald 

H.  E.  Stevens* 

B.  S.  Henning  ....... 

J.  Milton  Titlow* 

C.  A.  Young 

Robert  A.  Shailer* 

L.  B.  Archibald 

E.  P.  Stearns*  

C.  S.  Davidson 

Edward  Maguire 

E.  G.  Ferris 

Collingwood  Schreiber. 


Henry  Gannett 


James  P.  Howley 

W.  H,  Wood 

F.  M.  Towar ......... 

Julius  J.  Duraye 

Thomas  S.  Sedgwick*. 

Geo.  M.  Dawson 

T.  C.  Mendenhall 

L.  J.  LeConte* 

Edward  C.  Pickering  , . 

H.  F.  Royce 

J.  S.  Sewall*  

Wm.  B,  Hazen 


G.  Kennedy,  M.A.,  L.L.D 

E.  p.  Ashe 

Wilson  Crosby* , 

W.  H.  Pratt 


George  S.  Gatchell. 
H.  S.  Pritdiett 


C.  J.  Ives , 

Asa  Horr,  M.D.* , 

J.  L.  Gillespie , 

William  P.  Anderson  . 


Official  Titlk. 


3rd  Vice-Pres ,  etc.,  CB.  &*  O  R.R 
Cons.  Eng  ,  Canadian  Pacific  R'y, . 
Past  Pres.,  Am.  Soc'y  Civil  Eng.. 
Super.  Tel.  Sig.  Serv  ,  Dom.  Canada 
Eng  Monongahela  Navigation  Co . . 


Vice-Pres.  Canadian  Institute 

Chief  Eng.,  L.  E  dr-  W.  Rd 

N.0.6-M.  R.R 

Mem.  Am-  M.  Soc ,  Bur.,  A.S.C.E. 
Minister  of  Railways  and  Canals . . . 

Vice-Pres.  Am.  Tel  Co 

Chief  Eng.  Intercolonial  Railway.. 

U.  S.  Asst  Engineer 

Pres.  Ohio  Lo.  R.  W.  Co 

Principal  Asst.  Eng ,  C^ity  Hall  . . . 
Prof.  Astron'y,  Col.  of  Ne:w  Jersey .  - 
Asst.  Supt.  Edge  Moore  [ron  Works 
Supt.  Prince  Edward  Island  R'y. . . 
Asst.  Eng ,  Boston  Imp.  Sewei-age 
Sup.  Hud  Div.N.Y.,N.H.  dT-H.R.R 

Captain  of  Engineers,  U.S. A 

Engineers  D.  &-  N.R.R 

Chief  Eng.  and  Gen.  Man.  Canadian 

Government  Railways. 
Geographer  of  (-ensuf,  and  of  U.  S. 

Geological  Survey 

Asst.  Provincial  Geologist 

U.  S.  Asst.  Engineer 

U.  S.  Asst.  Engineer 

U.  S.  Asst.  Engineer 

Land  Agt.,  Atlantic  <£r>  Pac  R'd  Co. 
Asst  Director  Geological  Survey  . . 
Prof  Physics,  Ohio  State  University 

Res.  Eng.,  Oakland  Harbour 

Director  Harvard  Uoll.  Observatory 
Division  Superintendent 


Address. 


Chicago,  111. 
Montreal,  Ca. 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Ottawa. 

Pittsburg,  Ohio. 
1 2  W.  st,  Boston,  Mass. 
Toronto. 
Lafayette,  Ind. 
New  Orleans. 
Highlands,  Boston. 
Ottawa,  Ca. 
N.  Y.  City. 
Monckton,  N.  B,      '< 
St.  Paul,  Minn.       '•  ' 
115  Broadway,  N.  Y. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Princeton,  N.  J. 
Wilmington,  Del. 
Charlottetown. 
Atlanta,  Mass. 
Hartford,  Conn. 


South  Norwalk,  Conn. 
Ottawa,  Ca. 

Washington,  D.  C. 


St.  Johns,  Nfld. 
St.  Paul,  Minn. 
St.  Paul,  Minn. 
St.  Paul.  Minn. 
Albuquerque,  N.  M. 
Ottawa,  Ca. 
Columbus,  Ohio. 
Oakland,  Cal. 
Cambridge,  Mas*. 
Des  Moines,  Iowa.. 


St  Paul,  Minn, 
Brig,  and  Brevet  Major-Gen  ,  Chief  Washington. 

Signal  Officer,  U.S. A 
Law  Clerk,  Crown  Land  Depar't . . 
Director  Quebec  Observatory 

V^  •  Ej  ••••••  ••••••  ••••••  •••••••« 

Cor.-Sec.  and  Curator  Acad.   Nat. 

Science- 
Gen.  Supt.  B.  N.  Y.  P.  R.  R 

Prof.  Astron'y  and  Director  Obser- 
vatory, Washington  University . . 

Gen.  Supt.  B.  C.  R.  6-  W.  R'y  . . . . 

Pres.  Iowa  Inst.,  Science  and  Art . . 

U.  S.  Asst.  Engineer 

Eng.  to  Marine  Dept ,  in  charge 
construction  Can.  L^ht  Houses 


Toronto. 
Quebec. 
Bangor,  Me. 
Davenport,  Iowa, 

Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
St  Louis,  Mo. 

Cedar  Rapids,  la* 
Dubuque,  Iowa. 
St.  Paul,  Minn. 
Ottawa,  Canada. 


Name. 


Rufus  Ingalls 


W.  E.  Jacobs  . , 
Winslow  Upton 
H.  A.  Howe  . . . 


D.  R.  Taylor 

J.  R.  Eastman . . . 
James  R  Barber. 
DeVolson  Wood* 


Wm.  F.  Ellice 

Alex.  Murray,  C.M.G., 

^  'Vj'Kj  •■••••••••••• 

Edwin  A.  Hill 


C.  D.Ward*  .... 

Lewis  Bass 

Chas.  A.  Schott  . 
David  H  Jerome 
W.  T.  Sampson  . 


Wm.  Brydone  Jack  ■ 
John  B.  Hamilton  . 


H'y  F  McLeod,  M.I ,  CE. 

Jacob  M.  Clark* 

H.  P.  Dwight 

William  F.  Bradbury .... 

M.  Giddings 

J.  W.  Mallett 

D.  Hudson  Shedaker  .... 
John  Twigg 

E.  P.  Dunnington 

Francis  H.  Smith 

Clarence  J.  Blake 

Wm.  M.  Thornton , 

Albert  Chapman  Savage  . 

M.  C.  Femald 

John  H.  Plake 

Ed  Fontaine 

Fred  Brooks* 

Chas.  F.  Dowd,  A.M.... 


Official  Title. 


Quarter- Master  General  and  Brevet 
Major-General,  U.  S.  A. 


Address. 


Army  Signal  Office 

Prof  of  Math,  and  Astron'y,  Univ'y 

of  Denver. 

District  Supt.,  N.  P.  R  R 

Prof  Math  U.NS.,  U  S.N.Observ'y 

Railway  Superintendent 

Prof  Math,  and  Mechan.,  Stevens' 

Institute,  Tech 

Chief  Eng.  Connotton  Val   R'y  Co. 
Director  Geolog    Survey,  Newfd . . 

Attorney,  etc ,  Boston  6r'  New  York 

Air  Line  R'y. 

Windsor  Hotel 

Director  Dudley  Observatory 

Asst.  US.  Coast  and  Godetic  Surv. 

Governor  of  Michigan 

Commander  US  N.,  Asst.  to  Supt. 

Naval  Observatory. 
Pres.  University,  New  Brunswick . . 
Supervising    Surg.-General,    U.    S. 

Marine  Hospital  Service. 
Resident  Eng.,  Canadian  Pacific  R'y 

Gen.  Man.  Great  N  -West  Tel-  Co 
Hd.  Master,  Cambridge  High  School 


Prof.  Chemistry,  Univ'y  of  Virginia. 

Civil  Engineer 

Town  Clerk 

Prof  Anal.  Chem.,  Univ.  of  Virginia 
Prof.  Natl.  Phil'y,  Univ'y  of  Virginia 
Fellow  Am.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sciences 
Adj.  Prof  Eng.,  Univ.  of  Virginia. 

City  Engineer 

Pres.  State  College 


Washington. 

Salt  I^ke  City. 

Washington. 

Colorado. 

Mandan,  D  T. 
Washington. 
Cobourg,  Ont. 
Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Canton,  O. 

St.  Johns,  Newfoun'd. 

New  Haven,  Conn. 

Jersey  City. 
Albany,  N.  Y. 
Washington. 
Lansing,  Mich. 
Washington. 

Frederickton,  N.  B. 
Washington. 

Drynock,  B.  Columbia 
New  York. 
Toronto,  Can. 
Cambridge,  Mass. 
Bangor,  Me. 
Albermarle  Co.  Va. 
Philadelphia. 
Picton,  Ont. 


Professor,  etc.,  etc 

A.  E.  Ferro  Carril  Central  Mexican  o 
Pres.  Temple  Grove  Sem'y 


Boston. 


El  Paso,  Texas. 
Orono,  Me. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Jackson,  Wis. 
San  Luis  Potosi,  Mex. 
Saratoga  Springs. 


